Fred Hatfield, ‘Myths about Drugs, Nutrition and Training,’ (Hardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach, 1993)
Conor Heffernan
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Dr. Fred Hatfield (1942- 2017) is, for me, one of the most fascinating fitness figures from the 1980s and 1990s. An established powerlifter, he earned the moniker of Dr. Squat thanks to his strength on the powerlifting platform. At one point, he squatted 1,014 pounds at a bodyweight of 276 lbs., thereby breaking a new world record. What interested me about Hatfield was not his competitive successes but his public profile.
In the current moment, there is a sort of false tension between ‘bioscience’ and ‘evidenced based’ trainers, especially online. Simplified, this is the idea that while some rely on experiments and science, there are others who know what works based on their training experiences. Hatfield, in the 1980s, largely collasped this distinction. He was an exercise scientist, with a PhD no less, who was also someone with ‘in the trenches’ experience. In his writings his advice was always simple, look for what works, regardless of the source, and apply it with discipline.
The other reason I find myself returning to Fred’s books again and again is that he wrote for both the bodybuilders and the powerlifters. This week I was searching for something to post and it dawned on me that I’ve rarely written about Hatfield’s most popular book, Hardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach. The very title points to that collasping of ‘bro-science’ and ‘science-science’ and the book was Hatfield’s attempts to point weight training, writ large, into a more evidence based space.
The below excerpt does just that, tackling what Hatfield believed to be training myths of the early 1990s. Before you dive in though, I want to point out that there are two ways to read this. The first is that these are all clearly myths and that Hatfield is ‘destroying them’ or whatever terms the YouTube generation seek out. The second, and the historian-minded approach, is to read them as a list of some of the time’s biggest muscle-building debates. Read in the second way, we can see that Hatfield was trying to distinguish this early scientific approach from some of the field’s other ‘tribes.’
Enjoy!
Ironheads often become crusaders for their lifestyle, much in the tradition of the misguided Christians of the dark ages, the Nazis of the darkest ages, and even current-day cultists. In their characteristic zeal, they embrace beliefs that seem at the time of acceptance to be logical and just-or, at least, worth the risk.
Later on, realizing that their belief structure has been based on half-truths, lies, misinterpretations of legitimate research findings, out-of-context quotes, and a host of other tenuous infrastructural lattices, they are forced into a situation not unlike the crusaders, the Nazis, and the Scientologists. They hunker down and defend the beliefs they’ve held dear for so long with an abiding vengeance. You see, their very souls had gone into believing. For them to abandon that which was once held dear for something as trivial as truth would lay waste to their very souls and beings.
Consider this common phenomenon in psychology. A man buys a Chevy. He saved for a long time to buy that car and tried his best to get the most for his money. He tried hard to buy a vehicle that his peers would hold him in high regard for purchasing-a vehicle befitting his social position. Someone comes along and proves to him that, had he bought a Ford, he’d have gotten more for less.
Bang! The mind closes tight and hunkers down into a defensive position. All references to Fords (or any other vehicle) are burned or avoided like the plague. This man had invested too much to admit that he had erred. He doesn’t even want to be reminded of it! Despite the fact that he is patently aware of his mistake, he is obliged, by all he holds dear, to defend his position to the death if necessary.
Such is the human condition, and such is the state of the art and science of bodybuilding, fitness, and sports training. These activities lend themselves to the crusading spirit. They represent a lifestyle which, upon its acceptance, sets the believer apart from all others on the face of planet Earth.
There’s a new day dawning on us. New-age science has spawned breathtaking advances enabling us to make muscle gains like never before. It all started with the electron microscope, then came magnetic resonance imaging, genetic engineering, and a veritable cascade of technological breakthroughs of such a profound nature that 95 percent of the entire history of man’s inventiveness would be cited in the scientific annals of a single quarter century.
Looking to science for your important training questions, and the simpler ones as well, you will be swept away on a journey you won’t believe-on into the innermost regions of space, inside the cells themselves, into the individual organelles comprising the cells, and the genetic codes to which they individually owe their existence. You are minutely advancing toward a profound understanding of the very essence of life itself.
Poof! Gone are the mythic beliefs. Open your minds to modern science! You owe it to yourself to make the gains you have heretofore only dreamed about.
I propose herein to systematically shatter some of the mythic beliefs of irondom. If you’re still not convinced, hopefully you will at least stand back and think. The alternatives to the myths-the truths-are only briefly presented herein. The complete pictures are to be found elsewhere. Be aware that this is not my science. I did not invent it, nor did I singlehandedly interpret it. I merely serve as your humble archivist.
MYTHIC CONCEPTS ABOUT DRUGS
Myth One: Anabolic Steroids are Dangerous
The fact is, the folks who misuse or abuse them are. Guns aren’t evil either; the misuse of them is.
Myth Two: Without Steroids, I Can’t Make the Same Gains
Have you tried applying integrative science yet? Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! It may take more discipline and time, but it most certainly can be done.
Myth Three: All the Top Bodybuilding Stars Have Learned How to Circumvent Detection in the Drug Tests
The fact is that some have, but most who have tried got caught. As testing procedures become more discriminatory, the misuse and abuse of steroids and other banned drugs are on a decided decline in all sports. In the World Wrestling Federation (as in the ill-fated World Bodybuilding Federation), testing has already been taken to the highest level of discriminatory detection ever through the efforts of Dr. Mauro DiPasquale of Canada.
Myth Four: Testosterone Is a Great Substitute for Steroids
Testosterone is highly androgenic. It is not highly anabolic. When it’s abused as a substitute for anabolic steroids, it bloats the abuser (among other dangerous side effects), with little or no lasting strength gains forthcoming.
Myth Five: There Aren’t Any Other Anabolic Agents on the Horizon That Can Compare to Steroids in Effectiveness
There are, but they too are dangerous and are illegal or banned by sports governing bodies. There are some nutritional and nonnutritional substances which are safe, legal, and at least marginally effective. Give them a try within a scientifically formulated training regimen. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Myth Six: Smoking Dope or Snorting Coke Can Help Me in My Training Efforts
These drugs are dangerous, quite addicting (physically and psychologically), and, especially in the long run, thoroughly bad for training because they take away your drive and cause many unwanted side effects.
Myth Seven: Uppers Will Help Me with My Training and Fat-Loss Efforts
Only in the short-run. In the long-run, they will cause both physical and psychological dependency to the extent that they become more desirable than scientific training or dieting. At that point, you lose.
Myth Eight: As Long as There Are Bodybuilders Who Want to Win, There Is Going to Be a Drug Problem in the Sport of Bodybuilding
If we can instill a new moral ethic among our youth, drug abuse in sports will over a generation or two become regarded as an ancient and archaic attempt on the part of desperate athletes to excel. Parents, clergy, coaches, scientists, doctors-and the kids themselves all working together can make this happen.
MYTHIC CONCEPTS IN THE TRAINING SCIENCES
Myth Nine: With the Proper Choice of Exercises, I Will Be Able to Control the Shape of Each One of My Muscles
The good Lord, in His infinite wisdom, gave you genes that will determine your individual muscles’ shape. Your job is to make them big or strong. You can, however, shape your body. You can also shape a body part comprised of several muscles.
Myth Ten: The Nautilus Principle of One Set to Failure Is More Effective Than Any Other Method for Bodybuilders and Fitness Enthusiasts Alike
It is not effective for serious bodybuilders, and it is marginally effective in casual fitness training. Its originator, Arthur Jones, publicly turned his back on this (principally marketing-oriented) myth. There are many great ways to train. This is not one of them.
Myth Eleven: The Top Pros Know How to Train, and They Know Why They Do What They Do
Some have a good idea. Most, however, do not and became great primarily as a result of a gift from God (genetic predisposition) and hard (not necessarily smart) work. You’ll no doubt get some good advice from the pros, but you’ll be better off seeking competent advice from trained experts, of which there are precious few.
Myth Twelve: If I Train Longer and Harder Than Anyone Else, I Stand a Good Chance of Becoming Better Than They
Almost never. You’ll overtrain yourself every time you try. Smart work-not hard or long work-is the only way to go.
Myth Thirteen: In Order to Get Maximum Development in My Muscles, I Have to Attack Them from Different Angles-with Several Different Exercise Movements
When you make a muscle contract against resistance, do so in such a way that the targeted muscle contracts hard enough to force an adaptive response. It is not necessary to get cute with many different exercises, because the training effect is generalized throughout the entire muscle, never only in one spot or border of that muscle.
Myth Fourteen: Answers to All My Training Questions on Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Sports Training Can Be Obtained from Exercise Physiologists or Sports- Medicine Doctors
Most of the time this is not true, unless they have hands-on experience in training themselves. Answers to most training problems have come from the trenches, and few have come from the ivory towers of academia.
Myth Fifteen: Heavy Weights (Low Reps) Make You Bigger, and Lighter Weights (High Reps) Get You Cut
The truth is, there’s a better way. Get your muscles big through a holistic approach (heavy weights, light weights, fast movements, slow movements, high reps, low reps, and everything in between). Get your cuts from careful, scientific dieting and supplementing.
Myth Sixteen: I Can’t Make It to the Top Because I Have a Full-Time. Job, a Family, and Other Obligations That Keep Me from Training
Excuses all! Get up early and train. Bring a brown bag full of good food with you to work so you can eat five or six times a day. Grab a few sets during your scheduled lunch hour. Work out at least once in the evening (you may wish to get in two short workouts instead). The answer is dedication, discipline, and frugal use of available time.
Myth Seventeen: Those Electrostimulators, Bullworkers, Stretchie-Cords, and Other Gadgets on the Market Have No Place in a Bodybuilder’s Training Regimen.
Au contraire! All such devices work fine. The secret is to use them regularly. Frankly, weight training is the best alternative, but that’s not to say the other stuff doesn’t work. In fact, under certain conditions, such items may be more appropriate than a weight workout.
Myth Eighteen: Squats Give You a Broad Butt, Leg Extensions Are Good for Cutting up the Quads, Hammer Curls and Variations Thereof Will Elongate the Biceps
Your genes will determine the shape of your muscles once you’ve hypertrophied them through weight training. Careful scientific training and nutrition-not necessarily the inclusion or exclusion of a particular exercise-will determine the extent of hypertrophy, but never the shape, of a muscle.
MYTHIC CONCEPTS IN NUTRITION
Myth Nineteen: I Can Get as Big as I Am Physically Capable of Getting by Eating Three Square Meals Per Day
It takes five or six meals a day, each with an array of food groups and each with an appropriate balance of fats, carbohydrates, and protein to ensure maximum growth. Let’s not forget training, either.
Myth Twenty: The Scientists Who Established the RDAs Had Bodybuilders and Other Athletes in Mind When They Made Their Recommendations
The FDA is concerned with feeding the masses. They have never given any thought whatsoever to elite athletes. Maybe that’ll change once the masses get involved in fitness.
Myth Twenty-One: If You Can’t Find It in the Research Literature, Forget It-It’s No Good
This is the prevalent thinking among legitimate scientists. They say, “Where are your data?” as if its absence signifies illegitimacy. The truth is, a vast majority of training wisdom emanates from the trenches and sometimes, if we’re lucky, gets tested years later by these scientists.
Myth Twenty-Two: If You Can Find It in the Research Literature, Embrace It as the Truth
Much of the research done thus far in the general area of fitness and sports training has contributed to the body of knowledge without contributing one iota to sports or fitness in an applied sense. Further, much (particularly the nutrition literature) was performed for one semester using college freshmen (hardly a representative sample of fitness or sports people), rendering findings pretty much externally invalid. There is, however, much good research, and it’s wise to use it.
Myth Twenty-Three: All Those Pills, Potions, and Powders Being Ramrodded Down the Throats of Unwary Consumers with Promises of Bigger Muscles Are Just Plain Garbage and Don’t Work
It is true that science has not produced the magic bullet that steroids were. That’s not to say that some of the substances on the market nowadays aren’t effective. Some are, but you have to use them for a long time; they’re very expensive; you have to ask, “Does the cost justify the small gains they produce?” and there may not be sufficient data to support the claims made by the manufacturer. Usually such claims are outrageous and ill-founded. Sometimes, however, if you look past the hype and bombast, you’ll find a pretty good (and worthwhile) supplement.
Myth Twenty-Four: More Is Better
Better is better.
Myth Twenty-Five: Dieticians, Medical Doctors, Chiropractors, and Nutritionists Are Your Best Bet for Good, Sound Nutritional Advice to Support Your Training Efforts
Most are highly conservative in their nutritional approaches to fitness and sports excellence. Most are concerned with the health of the relatively sedentary masses because that’s where their training is and that’s where the money is. Nonetheless, you’re going to get better information from them than from an uneducated gym rat. Better that you go to a sports or fitness-oriented physiologist with extensive experience in the trenches as well as an academic background.
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Myth Twenty-Six: I Don’t Have the Time, Money, or Patience to Eat Right
Reread the response to Myth Sixteen.
Myth Twenty-Seven: I cannot eat Fats, Sodium, and Sugar {there is a misprint of this in my copy so this is my best approximation}
There’s nothing wrong with fats and sugar, just don’t eat too much of them. Do, however, eat some. They are healthy, necessary, and good. As for sodium, seek medical advice before eliminating it from your diet. Sodium serves many important functions in the body and happens to be our chief source of iodine these days.(too little fish is eaten nowadays).
Myth Twenty-Eight: Assuming I Need 3,000 Calories a Day (for Example) and Must Eat Five Meals Per Day, Then All I Have to Do Is Eat 600 Calories Per Meal
This method is fine for general fitness and is certainly better than eating three or fewer meals per day, but it’s not enough if peak performance is your goal. Before each meal, ask yourself, “What am I going to be doing for the next three hours of my life?” Then, apportion your caloric intake accordingly. Never eat for what you just did-only for what you’re going to do.
Hatfield’s list is uneven, which is precisely what makes it useful. Some of the advice still feels remarkably current like the debates about genetics limiting muscle shape, cutting comes from diet rather than high reps, and neither scientists nor champions should be treated as unquestioned authorities. Other claims now feel dated, especially around drugs, meal frequency, and supplementation. But taken together, the list captures a moment when bodybuilding was trying to become scientific without giving up its underground, experiential, hard-training identity. That tension has never really gone away. It just moved online. As always… Happy Lifting!
